A Justice Department official confirmed Monday evening that Richard Pilger, a career official who was serving as director of the Elections Crimes Branch, has resigned from his role in the division because of the attorney general’s memo authorizing U.S. attorneys to “pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities,” despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Pilger has stepped back into a role in the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section.
The New York Times reported that Pilger wrote to colleagues in an email this evening, “Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications, I must regretfully resign from my role as director of the Election Crimes Branch.”
A DOJ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Pilger’s resignation.
When ABC News sought a response from Pilger, an automatic reply to the email said, “I am no longer the Director of the Election Crimes Branch, and have stepped back to the line at the Public Integrity Section.”
